Iconic fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has died at age 85

Karl Lagerfeld in New York in October 2014. French media reported that he died on Tuesday.
Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Karl Lagerfeld died in Paris on Tuesday at the age of 85, his fashion label said.

The German couturier and photographer was best known as Chanel's creative director. The cause of death is unclear.

Lagerfeld missed two Chanel fashion shows in Paris last month, prompting speculation about his health.

The iconic fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld is dead.

The German-born couturier and photographer died in Paris on Tuesday morning, Lagerfeld's namesake fashion label told INSIDER in a statement. He was 85.

The designer was best known as Chanel's creative director. He also worked for Fendi and had his own fashion label, Karl Lagerfeld.

"The world has lost an icon," Paolo Righi, the CEO of Karl Lagerfeld, said in a statement. "Karl Lagerfeld was a creative genius; he was influential, curious, powerful, and passionate. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy as one of the greatest designers of our time."

"There are no words to express how much he will be missed," Righi added.

The French news site Pure People, which first reported the death, said Lagerfeld died in a hospital in Paris after being urgently admitted on Monday night. The report did not suggest a cause of death.

Lagerfeld at the end of Chanel's Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show during Paris Fashion Week last October. Stephane Mahe/Reuters

The French newspaper Le Figaro also reported the news, saying Lagerfeld "had been very weak for many weeks."

His health became the topic of speculation after he missed two Chanel fashion shows in Paris last month. He had appeared at the end of every show since he joined Chanel in 1983, Harper's Bazaar said.

Chanel told WWD in a statement at the time that Lagerfeld had been "feeling tired," and an announcer at the show said "We wish Mr. Lagerfeld to recover quickly," without providing details.